A Story From East High
by tryanforever91
Summary: Troy’s in a fix when Battle of the Bands proves too much for him and his friends. What happens when Ryan steps in to lend a helping hand? TRYAN. Based on the ‘Stories From East High’ series. ON HIATUS.
1. Battle of the Bands

**A Story From East High:  
Troy and Ryan's Story  
**Written by tryanforever91

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! Yeah, a new story already... don't worry, I'll still be updating _Study Buddies _and _It's Not You Anymore_, I just really wanted to write this too. I don't wanna turn into one of those authors who starts a million stories and never finishes them.

Anyways, since I'm such an insane HSM fanatic, i went and bought the junior novel series, 'Stories From East High'. They're _okay_... but if you ask me, they're EXPLODING with tryan undertones. So I decided to put my own spin on the series and turn it into a tryan fic :) Oh, and this story will cover the other books as well as book 1, even though the summary only describes book 1.

Note, the events taken from the books will be out of order. I'm rearranging them as I see fit. There also wont be anything directly copied from the books, unless otherwise stated.

**Warning:** This is a slash story, which means it deals with boy/boy relationships. You know the drill if you don't like it. There will also be a lot of Gabriella bashing in this story (I know I promised I would stop… but it's hard!), thus all hints of Troyella have been obliterated from the plot.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own High School Musical, or the 'Stories From East High' series. They belong to Disney. 'Stories From East High #1: Battle of the Bands,' 'Stories From East High #4: Crunch Time,' and 'Stories From East High #5: Broadway Dreams' are written by N.B. Grace. 'Stories From East High #2: Wildcat Spirit' is written by Catherine Hapka. 'Stories From East High #3: Poetry in Motion' is written by Alice Alfonsi.

Okay, enough talk, it's time to read!

* * *

**A Story From East High:  
Troy and Ryan's Story**

Written by tryanforever91

_-Based on the 'Stories From East High' series-_

-o-o-o-

**-Chapter One-  
**Battle of the Bands

Stepping off the school bus, and squinting against the morning sun, Troy looked across the courtyard to the masses of students already filing in for first block. He barely made it two steps before he heard someone bellow his name.

"TROY! Hey Troy!"

Past the fountain, Troy could see his best friend, Chad, bounding toward with him a great smile on his face. Troy waited on his response until Chad was closer. He wasn't up for being loud today. Chad's pace slowed as he rounded the pool of the fountain and was within normal speaking distance of Troy.

"Hey man," Troy said, walking up to his friend and going through their secret high-five, low-five, round-the-back, over-the-top handshake. Don't ask. It's a jock thing…

"What's crackin'?" Chad asked, still smiling that impossibly big smile. It faltered when he saw Troy's downcast expression. "You look out of it."

Troy shrugged and started a slow walk alongside his brother from another mother. "I feel out of it," he replied, not feeling the need to elaborate. Chad caught on anyways.

"Gabriella?"

Troy breathed a tired sigh and nodded. "Yeah."

Chad chuckled. "Never quits, does she?" he said sympathetically. He knew how things were with Troy and Gabriella, and while he did feel sorry for Troy, he _did_ bring it on himself. "Told you Twinkle Towne was a bad idea."

"Yeah, Chad, that doesn't help any, all right? So lay off," Troy grumbled. Chad held his hands up in a hey-don't-spaz-at-me gesture. There was silence for a few moments as the two boys pushed through the front doors and it only broke when Troy made an effort to change the subject.

"So what's with the doofus grin, Smiley Cyrus?" Troy said, snickering a bit.

"Dude, that's low," Chad replied, laughing a bit himself. They both knew Chad had a great loathing for Miley Cyrus, and Troy always called him that when he wouldn't stop smiling. He took a turn down a hallway away from Ms. Darbus' class, and Troy followed after a moment of confusion.

"Miss the memo?" Chad asked. "Assembly today. Word is Principal Matsui's got some big announcement to make."

"Is that so?" Troy asked, raising and eyebrow and following Chad to the gymnasium. "Knowing him, it'll probably be about the SATs coming up."

"Not from what I hear," Chad said, and his smile widened. Troy gave him a curious look, but he would find out what was going on soon enough anyways. He shrugged it off and joined the crowd of students by the gym doors.

-o-o-o-

"Out of my way!"

Ryan rolled his eyes as the screeching voice of his sister pierced through the buzzing crowds, perhaps a bit too close to his left ear. Ryan resorted to a quieter, and more effective, way of parting the crowds and pushed his way through. "Come on, sis. Just push."

Sharpay eyed her brother wearily. "I think not, Ryan. Although, I'd be more than happy to let you push while I give these peasants a piece of my mind."

_A piece of her WHAT?_ Ryan thought to himself, laughing at the prospect of Sharpay actually having a mind, at least, one that wasn't horribly skewed anyways. He shook his head and sighed. This was an assembly after all, y'know when a large group of people _assemble_ in one place? The great mob of people was to be expected.

After much pushing (on Ryan's part), and screaming (on Sharpay's part), the two Evans siblings made it past the entrance to the gym, and took their usual places in the front row bleachers. Ryan sighed in relief, but the worst was yet to come. Principal Matsui's assemblies were the stuff of legends, but in the worst way. If you were able to sit through one in its entirety without nodding off once, you weren't normal, unless you were Gabriella.

Pushing the annoying girl out of his mind, Ryan wondered to himself what incredibly boring topic his principal was going to cover in his assembly today. It took a while for the bleachers to fill and the buzz to die down, as always. When it finally did, Ryan could see Principal Matsui walk up to the podium. He tapped the microphone experimentally, emitting a loud screech that shut up anyone who was still talking. Oh when would he learn how to use a microphone?

"Good Morning, East High!" he said enthusiastically, holding his arms out.

There was a collective mumble of response, although Ryan could distinctly hear Gabriella shout back an equally enthusiastic "GOOD MORNING MR. MATSUI!"

Allowing himself a moment to acknowledge the greeting, Principal Matsui cleared his throat and spoke into the mic once more. "Now, I have some very exciting news for you all!"

_SATs?_ Ryan though gloomily.

"This year, East High will be having its own Battle of the Bands!"

Loud gasps issued from the bleachers, but none as loud as Ryan's. At once, a wave of excited chatter spread through the room. For Ryan, the gym had suddenly gone out of focus, and he could already see the shining spotlights and a microphone in his hand. His eyes filled with that twinkle, fantasies of the stage filling his mind. Battle of the Bands? No _way_!

"AAHH!" Ryan nearly jumped out of skin when Sharpay let out an earsplitting shriek. "This is _perfect_!" Sharpay squealed.

While he didn't care much for doing deaf prematurely, Ryan couldn't let that overshadow the overwhelming exciting building in him. "Totally!" he replied. "This'll be awesome!"

"Totally awesome!" Sharpay chimed.

"Beyond awesome!" Ryan added, his eyes growing wider. "Awesome to the tenth power!"

He didn't notice, but Sharpay's smile vanished, and she gave Ryan a degrading look. When he didn't hear her respond, he looked at her and saw that look, and instantly recoiled. That was his cue to shut up.

"You're so embarrassing sometimes…" Sharpay sighed, folding her arms.

The rest of the assembly was lost on everyone, as fervent discussion erupted everywhere about forming bands and the like. The assembly drew to a close, the everyone was dismissed to their classes.

Sharpay flounced into the hallway ahead of Ryan and the rest of their Drama Club following. She had that familiar, dreamy look in her eyes.

"This will be absolutely fabulous!" she went on. "I can see it now! I'm thinking sixties! I'm thinking big sunglasses and go-go boots!"

_Sunglasses and go-go boots?!_ Ryan thought incredulously to himself. Sharpay wasn't actually going to make him wear _that_ was she? "Shar…"

"And we'll call ourselves…" Sharpay paused for dramatic effect. "…Sharpay and the Sharpettes!"

"What?!" Ryan blurted out, before he could stop himself. Sharpay flashed him a smile.

"Yes, it's the perfect name for my girl group!"

Ryan paused to let that last bit sink in. Last time he checked, he was still a guy. "So um… a _girl_ group… how exactly do I… that is…" Ryan was finding it hard to piece together his sentence. If Sharpay was thinking what he thought she was, this wasn't looking good. "What about me?"

"What about you?" Sharpay asked, apparently not seeing anything wrong.

"Well, you said 'girl group,' and…"

"And?"

"Well, I'm not a girl…"

Sharpay stared at her brother like he was the stupidest person on the planet. It was replaced with another fake smile and she patted him on the shoulder. "Brilliant deduction, Ryan. Did you figure that out by yourself?" She then turned to the small crowd behind her. "Girls, let's go! We've got to pick a song!"

Three girls, whose names Ryan had never actually heard spoken by Sharpay before, followed his sister like a trio of lambs as she marched away, leaving Ryan standing alone in the hallway. He had a terrible feeling inside his stomach, like someone had just punched him in the gut. Sharpay was actually serious about the girl group, which of course, excluded him. Ryan tried to swallow, but his mouth had gone dry. Sharpay was going to sing… without him.

-o-o-o-

If anything could lift Troy's spirits, it was his very own school hosting a Battle of the Bands. Before he even made it to the hallway, he was already in deep discussion with his friends.

"Finally, all those months playing Guitar Hero are gonna pay off!" Chad joked. Troy laughed along, but gave his friend a serious response.

"But seriously, dude, this is the real deal. Guitar Hero isn't gonna cut it," Troy said. "You play anything?" Chad shrugged.

"Sure, I know a thing or two on the guitar. And I already know you can sing, so that's half the band already, right?" Troy was unsure. Sure he could sing, but could Chad play? He had never in his life heard Chad play an instrument, and he didn't seem the type.

"And that still means we need the other half," Troy pointed out.

"Hey, I know the bass!" Troy turned to see Zeke had caught up with them.

"There anything you _don't_ know, Chef Zeke?" Chad asked, punching his friend lightly on the shoulder.

"What can I say?" Zeke said. "I'm a Jack of All Trades." While the other two laughed, Troy was starting to have his doubts. Did Chad or Zeke really have the musical skills they were bragging about? Chad wasn't even that good at Guitar Hero, and the only thing he had seen Zeke play was the air-bass. In Troy's mind, they only part of the band they had for sure was the lead singer, and the still needed someone on drums…

-o-o-o-

Later that night, Troy had called over Chad and Zeke to his house to see how well they played. If, and only if, they had _some_ talent, Troy would see about getting rehearsal time. If not… well, he would have to cross that bridge when he got to it. To his surprise, when he answered the door that night, he saw not Chad or Zeke, but Jason.

"Hey Jase, what's up?" Troy asked.

"Chad told me about the band," Jason said, motioning behind him. It was then that Troy noticed Jason's old pickup in the driveway, with an ancient looking drum kit sitting in the bed. Troy could not believe it. Since when were basketball players such good musicians? "Would you mind giving me a hand with this junk?"

"If you can play," Troy answered, slipping his shoes on and following Jason outside. Somehow, Troy didn't think Jason's backbeat was as impressive as his jump shot. As he lugged the bass drum into the house, he could see the headlights of Chad's new car moving down his street. Soon, Jason's drums were set up in the basement, and the other two hand joined them, guitars in hand.

"Okay then," Troy said apprehensively. "Why don't we warm up with some basic chords?" Basic chords, unfortunately, were not heard as the other three stared at him silently. "You guys gotta be kidding me. C'mon, let's hear a G Major or something!"

Chad's eyes were wide. "You know _music_?" he cried. Oh no…

Troy could not believe his ears. "Well of course I know music! You need to know music to sing! And _play_ for that matter, which I assumed you knew how to do!"

"Oh sure, we can play!" Zeke said. At that, he and the other two started up a symphony of off-key notes and out-of-synch cymbal crashes. It sounded like a car accident. No, scratch that. It sounded like a semi-truck colliding with another semi-truck.

"STOP!" Troy cried out, throwing his arms out. However, he was scarcely heard over the din, and after another futile attempt at getting his friends' attention, he stuck two fingers in his mouth and blew a loud whistle. Thankfully, this got everyone's attention, and the noise died down. Noise that was _supposed_ to be music. Looking a bit dazed, the trio of wannabe rockstars immediately stopped their assault on Troy's eardrums and gave him a questioning look.

"What's wrong?" asked Jason. "Weren't we loud enough?"

"No!" Troy almost shouted. " No, the volume is… great. It's just that…" Great, how was he going to break it to his friends that they had no chance of winning Battle of the Bands?

"It's just that what?" Chad asked. Troy shut his eyes and let out a long breath.

"It's just that, Battle of the Bands won't be easy, especially if we're up against people like Ryan and Sharpay. We need to step up our game and work as a team. We can't fool around like this."

Hearing what Troy had to say, Chad, Jason, and Zeke looked at each other sheepishly.

"See, the thing is," Chad started, "We don't know music, like notes and junk. We just know how to jam out." Chad then played a riff on his guitar, something he picked up from Guitar Hero Troy noticed. It wasn't that bad, but it wasn't going to win anything.

"Well," Troy said. "That's not bad. But if we're gonna rock the house at B of the B, we need to actually play something." Then, Troy had an idea. "You guys sit tight for a sec, I'll be right back." He dashed upstairs to his bedroom, where he pulled his old acoustic out of the mess that was his closet. If the guys didn't know anything about music, he was just going to have to teach them. He only hoped that what he had learned from last year's Winter Musical was going to be enough. He found his friends were he left them in the basement, muttering quietly amongst themselves.

"Okay guys!" Troy announced, slinging his guitar around his neck. "Let's start with a G Major…"

* * *

And that's that.

Since this story is going to focus on tryan, certain parts will be cut out from the original story, mostly parts that have nothing to do with either Troy or Ryan. While I've tried to take the basic story and make it my own, i did borrow two things from the book in this chapter: 1) Troy and Chad's secret handshake. I didn't really think there was a better way of describing it, and what's the use of changing too many things? 2) Ryan's "Awesome to the tenth power!". Wish I thought of that myself, but I didn't. It was cute, so I kept it. And that's about it.

Oh, and if anyone actually knows the name of the three Sharpettes (the ones from High School Musical 2), I'd love you if you'd tell me. Although something tells me they don't even have proper names, and I may just have to call them Sharpette #1, #2, and #3.

Hope you guys enjoyed that chapter. This story _WILL_ see an update soon, as Chapter 2 is already mostly written. For those of you reading _Study Buddies_ and _It's Not You Anymore_, those ones are still works in progress... they'll be updated sometime this month. Anyways, reviews are welcome and appreciated as always. If you guys have any ideas for improvements, don't be shy telling me!

Well, until next chapter! Ta ta!


	2. Twist and SHOUT!

**Author's Note:** Wow guys! Thanks for the all reviews! Keep'em coming. I've some spectacularly good news for you all. I've finally gotten back into my writing groove, and so this story _will_ see some very frequent updates, along the same lines of _Sing With Me_. I dunno, there's just something about tryan that really sparks my interest. Of course, all your support motivates me more than anything else, so thanks again!

In this chapter, our two favourite Wildcats face even more problems. Wont say what, 'cuz that would spoil everything, but the chapter title should give an indication of how things go...

If there's any errors in this chapter, I apologize. Part of this was written during my breaks at work, so something may have been mis-typed when I got back home. Anyways, that's all I have to jabber about. Read on!

* * *

**-Chapter Two-  
**Twist and SHOUT!

The next day at school, Troy was feeling very uncertain about how his band would fare in Battle of the Bands. He kept the guys at his house until half past midnight, drilling notes and chords and scales into their heads. The essentials were all in his mind, the fundamentals that Kelsi had taught him during rehearsals. If he could just get those across to his friends, first place was as good as theirs.

Troy was hoping that by getting to school early that day, he would be able to avoid the big crowds and sneak his name on the rehearsal schedule before it got too full. After much deliberation, Troy decided to go through with this. There was still a ways to go before he and his buddies were ready to perform, but Troy was already making progress with them. Chad had managed to learn the fingerings for most of the important chords, although he did slip up from time to time. Zeke, whom Troy was starting to think was tonedeaf, actually showed some promise as he successfully played a simple bass line Troy gave him. Jason, when he set his mind to it, could actually keep a pretty steady beat, but Troy would have to teach him some restraint, especially with the cymbals. 

He quickly strode to the office, where the secretary, Ms. Dermot, was keeping the rehearsal list. Reaching the door, he pulled it open and walked right into—

"Sharpay!"

The girl whipped around, nailing Troy in the face with a mouthful of hair, her face showing a mixture of contempt and intrigue. "Why hello, Troy," she said in a sugar-coated voice. "What brings you here today?"

Troy sized up the blonde standing before him. There could only be one reason why she was in the office, and if that was the case, then Troy and his band had some tough competition. After all, Ryan and Sharpay were the reigning King and Queen of all things musical at East High. The only chance he had was to nab the best rehearsal slot before Sharpay did.

_Best play it cool, Bolton_, Troy thought to himself. "Oh y'know, just wandering about. What're you doing here?"

"Me?" Sharpay asked, holding a hand to her chest and looking up at Troy with wide, angelic eyes. "Why, I'm…" she faltered, not knowing what to say. "I'm just…" Her eyes darted to Ms. Dermot's desk on the far side of the room fleetingly. She gave Troy one last feigned smile before she tore across the room, Troy hot on her tail.

"No way you're gonna get the best timeslot!" Troy declared loudly.

"We'll see about that, Troy!" Sharpay shouted back. The two scrambled to the secretary's desk. Spotting the clipboard the held the rehearsal schedule at the same time, the two snatched it at opposite ends.

"Give me the clipboard, Sharpay!" Troy cried out. He had to admit, for a girl, Sharpay was pretty strong.

"Over my dead body!" Sharpay shrieked. Indeed, it would be the day she died when she admitted defeat to a _basketball jock. _She pulled hard on her end of the clipboard, but Troy was not giving up without a fight.

As the heated tug-of-war continued in front of Ms. Dermot's desk, Ryan was making his way to the office to see if he could get a copy of the school paper before it was sent out to the classrooms. As he neared the door, he could hear two familiar voices screaming at each other. Puzzled, he inched the door open and took a peek through the sliver of an opening. Through it, he could see his sister and Troy Bolton fighting over a clipboard and shouting some rather nasty things to each other. Ryan shuddered. Troy didn't stand a chance. He watched a few more minutes, until his devious sister got the best of Troy and grabbed the piece of paper. It slipped out from under the clip, and Troy was sent flying backwards. Ryan flinched and let out a quiet "Oooh…" He figured that was his cue to enter, and he did.

Hearing the door open, Troy and Sharpay both looked up to see Ryan. His expression was blank, and he silently walked to Troy to help him off the ground. Turning his back on his sister, Ryan showed Troy and amused smile and shook his head. _Why did you even try, Troy?..._ Troy looked up him, sort of dazed, before taking Ryan's outstretched hand and laughing a bit. Ryan pulled Troy to his feet, and he dusted himself off.

"Okay guys, you win," he said in defeat. He looked at the two Evanses, but their expressions did not match. Naturally, Sharpay was wearing a look of triumph, but Ryan was looking rather deflated. Troy's brow creased in a confused frown. He was about to ask if he was missing something when Sharpay cut him off.

"Yes, we _did_ win, didn't we?" Sharpay said happily. "And when 'Sharpay and the Sharpettes' accept the first place award at Battle of the Bands, we'll have you to thank, Troy." Troy eyed her dubiously as she bent over the desk to scrawl out her loopy signature. She was talking like she had already won the contest. More to the point, the name of her band seemed to reveal why Ryan was looking so disappointed.

'Sharpay and the Sharpettes?' Troy mouthed to Ryan. Ryan shrugged and heaved a deep sigh. An unnerving silence fell over the room as Sharpay wrote her girl group down for the choice rehearsal block. When she finished, she stowed her pink pen away in her purse and flashed another dazzling smile Troy's way.

"Well boys, it's been fun, but I must be off. Things to do, people to see." She strutted across the room and threw the door open. "Toodles!" The door shut with a soft thud, and Troy and Ryan were left standing alone in the school's office. None of the administration was in yet, probably in the staffroom downing donuts and coffee. Troy stared at Ryan.

"You're not singing with Sharpay?" he exclaimed. "What is _that_ about?"

Ryan didn't have an answer for Troy. He could only shake his head, the pain and confusion shining in his eyes. "I… don't know."

Troy swallowed. It almost looked like Ryan was going to start crying. When he really thought about it, he couldn't _ever_ remember Sharpay singing without Ryan. Ever since those two could hold a microphone, they had sung together. Troy could scarcely imagine what the impact of something like this could have on Ryan. He shifted on his feet uneasily, unsure of what to say.

"Uhh… well, are you still gonna sing?" Troy asked. Ryan frowned.

"Um, not unless I wear a blonde wig and knee-high boots," he replied dejectedly. Troy shook his head.

"No no, I mean are you gonna sing solo?" At this, Ryan jumped like he had just received an electric shock.

"S-solo? Me?" he stammered. "Noo way!" Ryan waved his hands, clearly not liking the idea. "I sing with Sharpay or I don't sing at all."

_What?_ Troy thought. What on Earth was Ryan talking about? He wasn't obligated to sing with his sister or anything. Troy thought Ryan would be great doing a solo. "What are you saying, Ryan? You'd be awesome singing by yourself!"

Ryan didn't look very convinced, and he continued to shake his head. "No… no that won't be good at all," he muttered, more to himself than Troy. "No, I'll just choreograph for Sharpay's group or something…" He didn't want to give Troy the chance to change his mind, so he grabbed a paper off the desk – the only reason he was here in the first place – and made for the door. "I'll catch you later, Troy."

Troy stared after Ryan, concern evident on his face. "Sure man, see ya."

The door swung open again, and Ryan took his leave. Now Troy was even more confused. Not only was Ryan not singing with Sharpay, but he didn't even want to try a solo. What was wrong with him? Troy tried to shake the troubling thoughts from his mind. He still had Chad, Jason, and Zeke to worry about. He walked up to Ms. Dermot's sill-vacant desk and picked up the rehearsal schedule. 

Sighing, he picked up the pen lying beside the sheet. He and his band would have to settle for the second-best rehearsal time.

-o-o-o-

Since Sharpay had the auditorium booked from 3:30-5:30, Troy, Chad, Zeke, and Jason started their first official rehearsal at 5:30. Once again, Troy was helping Jason set up his dad's ancient drum kit.

"So, your dad used to be a drummer?" Troy asked.

"Yep, that's right," Jason said, setting down the hi-hat. "But he gave it up when he met my mom." Troy nodded

"Ah, I see." Troy was inwardly cursing at the fact that Jason had not inherited any of his father's skill. In fact, he was beginning to wonder if Jason was good at anything besides basketball. Behind them, Chad and Zeke were hooking their guitars up to two of the school's amps, emitting a loud squeal of feedback every now and again. It wasn't much longer until they were all set up and ready to start playing. Troy stepped back to inspect his three friends.

"Okay then," Troy said taking in a deep breath. "I hope you guys remember everything we went over yesterday."

"G Major!" Chad and Zeke exclaimed, and they both played the chord as Jason banged loudly on the crash cymbals. Troy flinched at the sound.

"Great guys…" he said, trying to sound positive. In actuality, Chad had hit a G Minor, and Zeke was playing F sharp. And Jason was still playing too loudly. Sighing, Troy hoped after a few warm up drills they would be playing a bit better.

For once, things _had_ gotten better. Troy and Zeke found out that he hadn't tuned his bass guitar properly, which was why he was playing a bit flat. A minor adjustment of Chad's fingers, and he was able to nail all the chords Troy threw at him. And if Jason moved a foot back, and didn't have any sugar before he played, he would be at the perfect volume. An hour into the rehearsal, Troy was beaming proudly as his band slowly played the song, Twist and Shout, chord by chord. They figured they would try out an older song, and go for a fifties style band, to give them some edge on the competition.

"Guys, I gotta say, I'm really impressed with what we've done here," Troy said. "Keep this up, and we are gonna _kill_ the competition!"

"Yeaah!" Chad cheered. "What team!"

He was a bit surprised when no one answered. He looked around the stage to his three friends.

"Dude," Jason said. "This isn't basketball practice. We aren't the Wildcats when we're playing music." It was then that it occurred to everyone that they didn't have a name for their band.

"How 'bout the 'B-Ball Boyz?'" Chad suggested. The other two voiced their complaint right away.

"No way, dude!' Zeke said. "That totally makes us sound like some stupid boy band."

"Yo, how about Troy and the Troy-ettes?" Jason said, laughing his head off. He had heard about Sharpay's band and he could not get over that name. Troy shook his head.

"Ha ha, you're _so_ funny," he said, rolling his eyes. "Here's a thought, why don't we put the name on hold and just focus on—"

"How about the Three-Pointers?" Chad interrupted.

"That's so lame. How about The Champions? Then would sing We Are the Champions for battle of the bands."

"Dude, that's dumb. We should be—"

"Guys! Cut it out!" Troy yelled. The other three fell silent again and looked at Troy. "Look, a name wont mean anything if we come in dead last. The only thing people will be calling us is 'The Losers'. What we need to focus on is getting this song right."

"But we've already got it pretty good," Chad said.

"Yeah well, 'pretty good' is gonna look like crap when Sharpay brings down the house with another show-stopping musical spectacular, and we're there strumming C Major, F Major." Jason, Zeke, and Chad stared at Troy. He was really getting into this. "And anyways, we don't act like a rock band at all."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zeke asked.

"You're just _standing _there!" Troy said, waving his hand around. "People are gonna think we're a bunch of _trees_ holding guitars and drumsticks!"

This was met with no response, and Troy's friends only shared glances between each other while Troy stood in front of them.

"Well, come on then," Troy said. "Let's see your best rockstar moves." The others' eyes went wide.

"You mean _dance_?"

Troy slapped his forehead. What good was a band that couldn't play or dance? No good at all, and if Troy was going to teach Sharpay a lesson and win Battle of the Bands right in front of her very eyes, he was going to need help, and _fast!_ But who could he get to help him? Music he knew enough about, but he was useless when it came to dancing. Troy didn't know if they were better off making up their own moves, or just standing still. After all, none of them were choreographers…

_Wait! Choreographer…_ Troy was suddenly reminded of that morning, in the office.

_"I'll just choreograph for Sharpay's group or something…"_ Ryan's voice echoed in Troy's head.

"THAT'S IT!" Troy exclaimed.

"What's it?" the other three asked, puzzled. Troy didn't answer them, and turned his back on them as he started to tihnk.�The gears were really turning in his head now. If he could somehow get Ryan to help out with some simple moves for his band, they were sure to win! If anyone could put together a great dance number, it was Ryan. There was only one thing that might pose a bit of a problem...

_I just hope he's not too sore about the Winter Musical… _

Thus ends chapter two.

Hope you all enjoyed that. Thanks to Tertiary Genesis for the Sharpettes' names (I feel so stupid that I forgot them now...) more on them later, perhaps. Things have been shifted around from the way it goes in the book, but that's the whole point, so I'm being very loose with the plot in that sense. I'm adding and taking away emphasis where it's necessary. Oh, and I took Chad's suggestions for band names from the book, because I myself was stumped on what to call them.

Oh, and what I said last chapter, about this story not following the books in chronological order. I've changed my mind on that one, I'm keeping the order of the books. I skimmed over them last night, and it actually goes quite nicely with the progression of their relationship. Out of the books I own, i actually havent read #4: Crunch Time and #6: Heart to Heart, and thus I don't plan on including them. 4 seems kinda boring, but I haven't finished it. If you guys have read it and know if something interesting happens, can you let me know? and 6 seems pretty Troyella-centric, so I wont touch that one. So yeah, just to let you all know.

As for now, I haven't started on Chapter Three, but it's Spring Break for me now, and I've got three days off until the Easter weekend work marathon (I'm working **30 hours **from Thrus-Sunday. I usually don't work that much in a _week_ let alone 4 days), so hopefully I'll be able to get a lot of work done on this story.

Anyways, i should stop so I can actually put this up and you all can read it. Toodles!


	3. Outside Help

**Author's Note:** So much for getting back into my 'writing groove'... A THOUSAND APOLOGIES for this extremely late update. I know I kept you guys waiting a long time, and I'm eternally sorry! And of course, another big thank you for all the reviews.

This chapter was written in chunks. The first half was written ages ago, and I didn't spend too much time rethinking it for this story because the original stuff worked just fine. Then I hit a big low motivation-wise and didn't touch this (or any other story) for ages. Then I wrote part of the second part, and it sucked, so I left it again... and then finally i rewrote the last bit a few days ago. For the second half of this story, I felt it was very important for me to do really well on it, because it's the first actual Tryan-ish part. However, I'm still in the recovery process of my writer's block, so if it doesn't seemed stellar, I apologize again!

Anyways there's not much else to say so I'll just shut up and yet y'all read now.

* * *

**-Chapter Three-  
**Outside Help

While it was pretty obvious that Troy's band still needed help after a few more rehearsals, Troy was trying to avoid asking for Ryan's help. He tried focusing on the fact that the guys were making some great progress with the music, but there was still the issue of their dance moves, which were seriously lacking. The more and more Troy berated them about it, the less enthusiastic they were about it. Troy didn't want to admit it, but he _needed_ Ryan's help badly.

So, why couldn't Troy just go up to Ryan an ask him? No big deal, right? Wrong! Troy sighed. Ever since Twinkle Towne, things were a bit tense between him and the two Evans twins. Sharpay had vowed to never again lose a lead to him, and held a strong grudge against him to this day. Ryan didn't seem as fazed by it, but Troy knew he was just as, if not more, enthusiastic about the theatre as Sharpay. And with being kicked out of the spotlight _again_ by his sister and her girl group, Troy wasn't so sure if Ryan would be that willing to help him. No… that could wait. For now, Troy would wait on asking Ryan. There was no rush. There was plenty of time until Battle of the Bands…

The boys had another rehearsal that day after school, from 4:00 to 6:00, and Troy was hoping that by some miracle, his friends would be able to pull off some decent moves and save him the trouble of asking for Ryan's help. With his friends behind him lugging their instruments, Troy pulled the auditorium doors open and marched down the aisle…

…only to see Sharpay and the Sharpettes already onstage, running through a rather extravagant rendition of The Supremes' 'Stop! In the Name of Love.' Troy could not believe it.

Upon seeing the four basketball players making their way down the aisle, Sharpay stopped singing and motioned for someone offstage to cut the music. With a smile fit for a preying crocodile, Sharpay skittered to the edge of the stage and bent low so she was closer to Troy's height. "Why hello, boys," she said. "Come to see the show?"

Chad snorted. "No," he said in a drawl of annoyance. It looked as if Sharpay didn't hear him.

"I think it's so brave of you boys to try out for Battle of the Bands," Sharpay said in a sweet but condescending tone. "I do hope we can put past conflicts behind us and compete as _friendly rivals_."

Troy looked disbelievingly at Sharpay. He knew the girl would sooner sell all her clothes than get over her great fall last year. She was up to something, but Troy decided to play along. "Sure, Sharpay," he said, earning him stares of shock from his friends. "This isn't about winning or anything. We're just having fun, right?"

Now Sharpay was staring at Troy too. _This wasn't about winning?_ Winning was the ONLY thing that mattered! However, she recovered quickly and widened her smile.

"Too true, Troy Bolton!" she chirped. "Anyways, we're busy rehearing right now, so perhaps you and your…" Sharpay looked over Chad, Zeke, and Jason with contempt. "…_little _band could drop by later."

That last remark struck a note with Troy, and he gave Sharpay a defiant look. Behind him, he could hear his friends muttering spitefully to themselves. Just who did Sharpay think she was? Troy tried to push down his feelings of annoyance and kept a cool head as he tried to reason with Sharpay.

"Well, actually, I had the stage booked from four to six," he said. "So really, I think _you_ need to leave."

Sharpay looked like Troy had just slapped her in the face. "I _beg_ your pardon? _I_ have the stage from three 'til seven! Just ask Ms. Dermot!"

It was getting increasingly harder for Troy to speak calmly. "Look, I already checked with Ms. Dermot. I saw the schedule today at lunch, and I saw it plain as day that _we_ are supposed to be rehearsing _now_." Sharpay's lips thinned, and she lifted her head a bit higher.

"Then you might want to get your eyes checked," she sneered. "In any case, we're already set up." Sharpay waved a hand behind her at the stage. "So why don't you just come back another time. _If_ I'm feeling generous, I'll let you have the stage at 6:55."

"How considerate of her," Troy could hear Zeke mumble to Jason. Troy was thinking along the same lines, but he couldn't very well blow this for them. They needed all the rehearsal time they could get. If he couldn't get Sharpay off the stage now, maybe she would be more willing to meet halfway.

"How about we come to some sort of compromise?" Troy tried, but he knew it was no use before he even finished his sentence. Sharpay's chin was lifted high, and here eyes narrowed to slits.

"No," she said flatly. "An Evans _never_ settles on anything less than what she deserves. I came for four hours, and _I will get four hours!_"

"Isn't that pushing it a bit?" Troy said pleadingly. "Battle of the Bands is coming up really soon, and we _need _the time to practice!" Troy was getting a bit desperate now. He figured there was only one thing left to do. Leaning in closer to Sharpay and smiling demurely he said, barely over a whisper, "Couldn't you cut your good buddy Troy some slack and let us have the stage?"

Sharpay turned her head, ever so slightly, regarding Troy through a scrutinizing eye. The smile stayed on his face, and slowly, Sharpay's piercing glare softened. "Well, since you're asking so nicely…"

"Chalk one up for the old Troy Bolton charm," Chad snickered, nudging the other guys and laughing with them. At once, Sharpay's face hardened again. Her features were so razor sharp, they could have been chiseled out of stone. Her gaze impaled Troy with malicious spite.

_Uh oh…_ Troy thought.

"_You!_" Sharpay bellowed, pointing an accusing finger at Troy. Did he _actually_ think he could get away with something like that? Sharpay had been in this industry for ages, and if her experience had taught her anything, it was to not trust anyone. _Especially_ scheming, two-faced, sneaky smooth-talkers who only cared about saving their own hide. Her posture was rigid as she glared down at Troy, and he knew that there was no chance for him now.

"You!" she sputtered again. "You and your chest-pounding Neanderthal friends can kiss your chances of using this stage goodbye! We're staying here 'til seven! No, not even that! We'll stay here _all night_, and when Battle of the Bands rolls along, we'll see who has true talent, and who needs to go back to sitting at home playing Guitar Hero!" Her chest rose and fell as she sucked in more air. "Let this be a warning to you all! From here on in, there will be no more Little Miss Nice Sharpay. In fact, I am gonna _take you down!_"

That was the last straw for Troy. To hell with friendly rivalry! If Sharpay wanted a fight, Troy and his friends would damn well give her one. He stood taller and stared Sharpay down.

"Fine!" he shouted. "If that's the way it's gonna be, so be it! We'll find somewhere else to practice, and we'll rehearse until dawn, and when it comes time to do our thing, we'll show you how it's _really done!_ We'll rock the house so hard, you're powder-puff, pretty-in-pink band won't stand a _chance!_" With that, Troy spun around and charged down the aisle past his friends, feeling entirely different about Battle of the Bands now. After all, it _was_ a competition, and competitions were meant to be won.

Stepping into the hall, Troy recuperated from his unexpected outburst. His pace slowed as he marched down the hall. It was then that a new thought occurred to him. How in the world was he supposed to ask Ryan for help after _that_? No doubt Sharpay would go crying to him about how horrible Troy had been to her, and Troy could already see his brilliant plan go up in smoke. Troy growled in frustration.

Would Ryan still want to help him?...

-o-o-o-

For a while, Troy put off confronting Ryan. He couldn't bring himself to ask anything of Ryan after saying what he said to Sharpay. However, as rehearsals grew longer, and more grueling, Troy had to face the facts. He needed help. He needed it desperately, and he needed it _now_.

It was after school one day when Troy finally gathered the courage to come up to Ryan and ask for his help. He searched around the school, and finally spotted him trudging out of the music room. Now was his chance! Troy took a few confident steps forward and sucked in a deep breath to call out to Ryan…

…only to realize he had no idea what he was going to say! With his voice caught in his throat, and his feet rooted to the ground, Troy was suddenly aware of the fact that he was not prepared in the slightest to talk to Ryan. He couldn't even recall the last time he had a meaningful conversation with Ryan, if such a time even existed. Wracking his brains for something to say, Troy watched helplessly as Ryan slowly disappeared into the crowds. He had to say _something_ before it was too late… _anything!_ Troy shut his eyes and inhaled a steadying breath. _Now or never, Troy._

"Ryan! Hey Ryan!"

Pushing past the hordes of people standing in his way (why couldn't they just _move_ for once?), Ryan could have sworn he heard someone call his name. He paused for a moment, straining his ears in hopes of hearing the call again, but it didn't come. Ryan shook his head and continued on his way, disregarding it as anything but a figment of his imagination. He was about to step past a rather large huddle of freshman when he felt someone's hand on his shoulder…

Apparently Ryan had missed Troy's feeble attempt at getting his attention, and therefore a more direct approach seemed like a good idea. Troy felt Ryan jump a little under his touch as he laid it on his shoulder.

"Hey," Troy said to Ryan's back. Slowly, the blond turned around until his grey-blue eyes met with Troy's. They nearly doubled in size when he saw Troy standing there, and for a moment, Ryan did absolutely nothing but gawk at Troy. It almost looked like he wasn't even breathing, and Troy was starting to worry until Ryan's jaw dropped an inch or so to utter something.

"H-hey," he almost whispered.

Troy shifted nervously. "Uh, can I… talk to you for a sec?" he asked cautiously, his fingers fidgeting as he did.

Again, Ryan said nothing, but his eyes shifted slowly to one side, then the other. When he saw that no one else was beside him, his eyes widened even more. "Who, _me?_" he squeaked.

Troy's brow twitched in the slightest of confused frowns and the corners of his mouth went up a millimeter or two. "Yeah, of course you," he said. "Who else would I be talking to?" He chuckled softly and continued to give Ryan that puzzled yet amused look. Was Ryan always this weird?

Ryan gave Troy's last remark some serious thought. In his mind, Troy could have been talking to _anyone_, and in fact, Ryan could not think of why Troy would ever talk to him of all people. He squinted his eyes, as if to find some sign that Troy was actually joking hidden somewhere in his expression, but he found nothing.

Ryan was staring at Troy the way one might stare at an unsolved Rubik's Cube, and he got the feeling that Ryan wasn't going to say something. He was really starting to wonder if any good was going to come out of this, but there was no turning back now. He tilted his head slightly to the right.

"Can we talk in private?" he asked, nodding towards a vacated classroom.

Okay, if Troy talking to Ryan was weird, being invited into an empty room with him was completely outrageous. For a brief moment, Ryan actually humored the idea that he might be dreaming, but Troy looked real enough, standing there with an expectant look on his face. It was an odd look, but somehow Ryan could not pull his eyes from it. There was something under that look, something that told Ryan that Troy was just as confused as he was, that he wasn't doing this as some cruel practical joke, and that he certainly wasn't a _dream_. Ryan didn't know _what _it was, but for the few strangest seconds of his life, Ryan completely and totally trusted Troy Bolton.

"Sure."

Troy relaxed, letting a relieved smile stretch across his face as he reached for the doorknob. Ryan didn't think he was crazy, and he was actually going to let Troy ask him this huge favour! He waited beside the empty doorframe, and Ryan cautiously stepped into the empty room. Troy followed behind and shut the door. The absolute silence of the classroom was a huge jump from the raucous rumble of the hallways outside, and it was almost a bit unnerving. Ryan wandered around a bit, not quite knowing where he wanted to stand, and stopped somewhere in front of the huge blackboards lining one wall. He turned to face Troy, who cleared his throat.

"Okay," Troy started, "I know this is a little weird, but I have a small favour to ask of you.

Ryan gave Troy a peculiar look. What on Earth could he do for East High's so-called Primo Boy? "A favour?"

"Yeah," Troy said. "Actually… it's a pretty _big_ favour but…" Troy stopped, clearly unsure of what to say next. Ryan was still looking at him oddly, probably wondering why Troy as doing this. "Okay, so me and the guys are in Battle of the Bands, right?"

Ryan shrugged his shoulders. "Sure." Where was Troy going with this?

"And, well, we sound like a band," _barely_ Troy added in his head, "but we don't look much like a band, y'know? And I think that's pretty important, don't you?"

"Oh sure!" Ryan said in a suddenly enthusiastic voice. "Appearances are half the battle, if not more! Why, there's outfits, and makeup, and choreography, and all those other elements that make up a truly spectacular show!" He was nodding his head fervently now, his eyes wide and twinkling.

Troy stared at him in shock. Where did _that_ come from?

For a moment, Ryan looked a bit spaced out, and Troy could only imagine the million things running through Ryan's theatre-crazed mind. As suddenly as it happened, Ryan snapped himself out of his reverie and gave Troy another suspicious look. "What does that have to do with me?"

"Well…" Troy said. "I don't think we have to worry about makeup or anything, but the choreography is definitely a work in progress…"

"Yeah… and?"

"And none of us really know how to dance…

"Uh-huh… what are you getting at?"

Troy ran a hand through his hair, and he was starting to look very unsure of himself. "And… uh… well… _you're_ a dancer, aren't you?"

If Ryan's eyes went any wider they would fall out of his head. Troy wasn't actually thinking… _that_, was he? There was just no _way _that this was happening! "Hold it!" Ryan said abruptly, holding his hands up. "You're not suggesting what I think you are… are you? You can't seriously think that—"

"I might…" Troy looked down at his sneakers, shifting his weight from side to side. Ryan on the other hand was staring intently at Troy, with his feet rooted in place and feeling like a brick had just dropped into his stomach. Troy had just done the totally unthinkable. Troy had just asked Ryan to teach him how to dance…

No! He couldn't! He wouldn't! He _shouldn't_! Was Troy out of his _mind?_ That could possibly be the biggest taboo ever! Teaching a basketball jock the art of dance? WHAT would Sharpay say? "Troy…" Ryan finally croaked. "I…"

"Look, I know this is a really huge thing to ask of you," Troy said. "But I really think you could help us! I mean, there's no hard feelings between us or anything, right? We're cool?"

Ryan knew what Troy meant by that. He was talking about Twinkle Towne. True, Ryan was completely floored when he found out he lost the role of Arnold to Troy, but… he got over it. And he was never really upset in the first place, just really, _really_ confused. "Yes, Troy. We're… _cool,_ but—"

"And you and Sharpay were just awesome during auditions last year."

This took Ryan completely by surprise. Did Troy just _compliment_ him? "Um, thanks, but—"

"And dude, let's face it, you're an amazing dancer."

Ryan started. Just what was going on here? Where were all these nice things that Troy was saying coming from? Ryan eyed the other boy suspiciously. This couldn't be more of the infamous "Troy Bolton charm," could it? Was Troy just sucking up to Ryan to get him to say yes? Ryan's expression darkened, and he opened his mouth to say something… only to find that he couldn't. He looked at Troy's face again, trying to decipher that look he was wearing. There wasn't a hint of ridicule in those eyes. Once again, all Ryan saw in Troy's eyes was pure, honest-to-goodness sincerity. Troy wasn't trying to pull a fast one on Ryan. He was being completely honest with him. Still… you couldn't be too sure.

"You really mean it?" Ryan asked sheepishly. Any feelings of doubt he might have had instantly crumbled away when he saw Troy's smile.

"Every word," Troy said affirmatively. "Ryan, I don't kid about this kind of stuff. I _really _need help, and you're _perfect_ for the job! Please, I'm begging you." Troy actually clasped his hands together, as if he were praying for Ryan's help.

_Wow…_ Ryan thought, _these guys must really have two left feet if Troy's _begging _for my help_. That aside, Ryan was strangely moved by Troy's words. Never before had someone given him credit for any of his work. Usually, all the praise went to Sharpay, and Ryan would stand off to the side and be a good sport, applauding. Now here was Troy, truthfully admitting that he thought Ryan was a good dancer, and going so far as begging for him to help. By now, he almost wanted to say yes… but there was still something stopping him.

"Troy, thanks… I'd really like to help you but… I can't." He almost flinched at Troy's reaction.

"What! Why?" Troy asked pleadingly, and looking absolutely crestfallen. Ryan didn't know how to answer that question, but he had to anyways.

"It's just that… Sharpay would _kill_ me if I did."

"But you're not even singing with her!" Troy said confusedly. "Why would _that_ matter?"

"Trust me, everything matters with Sharpay," Ryan said, rolling his eyes. Troy sighed, running his hand through his hair again.

"Okay… how about this," and Troy leaned in closer to Ryan, lowering his voice. "We'll keep this between us, okay? I'll watch your back and cover your tracks, and Sharpay won't have to know a thing. How does that sound?"

For a second, Ryan was almost convinced. If they were careful, Ryan could pull this off without Sharpay knowing. And Troy _seemed_ dependable… But Sharpay would totally disapprove of it, and Ryan would never want to make her angry. He let out a miserable groan, torn between helping out Troy and staying in good graces with Sharpay. Finally, he shut his eyes and said, "What song are you doing?"

Troy furrowed an eyebrow, eyeing Ryan weirdly. "Twist and Shout." What an absolutely _random_ thing to ask. However, it seemed to matter a lot to Ryan, as he was once again staring at Troy through disbelieving eyes. "Uh, that's not a problem… is it?"

Ryan blinked. "Twist and Shout?"

"Yeah…?"

"By The Beatles?"

"Pretty sure…"

Ryan stared hard at Troy, and he was scared for his life that this whole thing had just gone to pieces. Troy was just about ready to throw in the towel when – out of the blue – a wily smile formed across Ryan's face.

"I am _so _in!"

* * *

That Ryan sure is a wacky one sometimes...

So, how did I do? Did I completely fail? I sure hope not.

Something that really helped me for the second part is that I didn't have the book two inches from my face, and that I actually just went my own way with it. I think the problem I had the first time writing this is that I was trying to stay too close to the original story, when I really just needed to do my own thing. So... yeah.

To answer some questions you guys had...

How these books fit into the HSM series is a bit weird. From my understanding, they take place during senior year, one year after the events of the first movie, because they keep making references to them being the senior class, and how Twinkle Towne and junk happened the previous year. That said, I also think the books completely disregard High School Musical 2, because I'm pretty sure they were all written before the second movie came out. So, they take place after the first movie, and pretend the second movie didn't happen... if that clears things up. I also don't think they follow a specific order, but I could be wrong.

Oh, that was the only question... coulda sworn there were more... heh, anyways...

I'm not sure exactly when Chapter 4 will be up, seeing how I haven't started on it yet, but I assume it will be soon. A bit of good news: I'm probably going on strike soon, so that means I don't have to work, which means I'll have more time to write YAY!

So, thanks so much for reading, please review, and I'll catch you peeps later!


	4. Death by Sharpay

**Author's Note:** Hey guys! thanks for the reviews

I hope I didn't keep you guys waiting too long for this update. This is one of my favourite chapters, because we get to see some more Troy/Ryan interaction. Troy and Ryan have a lot of questions about each other, and tension starts growing. We also get to see a bit of Ryan's crazy side in this chapter. He's been living with Sharpay all his life, so he has to be a _little_ crazy, right?

Anyways, I do hope that you like this chapter.

* * *

**-Chapter Four-  
**Death by Sharpay

For the rest of the evening and the better part of the next day, Troy went over the conversation he had with Ryan in that lonely classroom after school. For one thing, he was trying to think of why Ryan had so suddenly agreed to help Troy after being so reluctant. From the outset, Troy did not have very high hopes of securing the amateur choreographer's help, and they did not improve as Ryan weighed Troy's proposal with ever-growing skepticism. His sudden agreement had caught Troy completely off-guard, and while he was happy that Ryan was helping him now, he had to wonder what caused such a strange reaction.

A more pressing question, however, was why Ryan was so reluctant in the first place. At first, Troy thought it had to do something with him beating Ryan out for the Winter Musical, but Ryan himself had said that they were "cool," and that he held no grudges. That in itself was good news, but it only complicated the question of why he couldn't help Troy. Or wouldn't. Was there something else that was bothering Ryan? Was it something to do with Troy?

Troy and his as-of-yet unnamed band had another rehearsal that day after school. This time, Troy triple-checked the rehearsal schedule, and was relieved to see Sharpay penciled in for 5:30. That would give them a little over two hours to practice; more than enough time to get some real work done. Troy also hoped that, now that Ryan would be with them during rehearsals, he would be able to answer some of these questions he had rattling in his brain.

Promptly after the final bell, Ryan inconspicuously slipped into the auditorium, with the single goal of staying more or less invisible. In place of his usual bright attire, Ryan wore a large black sweater, a pair of black jeans, and some black dance shoes on his feet. Obscuring his face were a giant pair of black shades and a black baseball cap pulled low over his forehead. Perhaps it was over the top, and maybe he was being a bit paranoid, but anything was worth it when avoiding death by Sharpay. Ryan could not even count the number of reasons why Sharpay would be enraged at him, but the top of the list was that he was helping her number one rival in the school: Troy.

Why Ryan agreed to help with Troy's band was something he had frequently asked himself since their talk with each other one day prior. The answer was both simple and complex. The simple answer was: Troy and his friends were singing Twist and Shout, one of Ryan's favourite songs by The Beatles. Where it got complex was, even if Troy hadn't mentioned that song, Ryan was sorely tempted to say yes, which shocked him beyond belief. Never in a million years would Ryan think that he would be helping Troy with dancing. It was one of those crazy ideas – like flying pigs – that one often laughed at, not realizing that they might someday come true and your whole world would get turned upside-down. Troy had just flipped Ryan's world when he confronted him with a request to choreograph for him. So why did Ryan do it?

_Instinct? Pressure? I don't know!_ Ryan thought madly to himself.

Maybe it was the way Troy was so honest with him. These days, people were always faking, and lying, and deceiving others, just to get their own way. Troy was very truthful about his problem, and why he thought Ryan was the solution. He didn't avoid things. He didn't stretch the truth. He just told things how they were, and Ryan admired Troy for that.

Maybe it was the fact that Troy treated Ryan like someone who mattered. Too long, as long as he could remember, Ryan was always just some kid who followed his sister around, and that's how everyone else saw him. Troy really respected Ryan; he always referred to him by his name, he always looked directly into his eyes while speaking to him, and he always listened. As much as Troy needed to pitch his sale to get Ryan to help him, he took the time to listen and understand that maybe this was a huge risk for Ryan too, and that both of them would have to bend a little to make things work out.

Maybe it was that mystical smile of his. Maybe it was that friendly, approachable demeanor. Maybe it was that feeling deep inside of Ryan that told him Troy was someone he could trust. Whatever it was, it had to be a good reason to make the impossible a reality.

Ryan tiptoed down the dimly lit aisle toward the stage, trying to be as unnoticeable as possible. If _anyone_ other than Troy and his band mates saw Ryan, he was toast. _Literally_. He was barely to the stage, where he could hide behind the curtains, when the auditorium doors swung open.

"Heey! There he is!" someone bellowed loudly. Ryan spun around, stricken by fear. Outlined by the light pouring in from the hallway beyond, three figures bustled into the room dragging drums and guitar cases behind them.

"Yo Ryan!" Jason called out. "You ready to rehearse?"

"Shhh!" Ryan hissed anxiously. "Don't say my name so loudly!"

"Dude, what's with the get up?" Chad remarked. "You gonna rob a bank or something?"

"Chad, why would _Ryan_ rob a bank?" Jason asked, rolling his eyes and ignoring another hushing sound from Ryan.

"Looks like Ryan's scared of getting caught by someone here," Zeke laughed. "Three guesses at who it is…"

"SHARPAY!" The three boys shouted, laughing as they did.

"Shh! Shh!" Ryan kept trying to shut the guys up, but to no avail. They continued laughing and speaking in voices loud enough for the entire school to hear. Ryan groaned. What had he gotten himself into?

The doors were thrust open again, and this time, Ryan actually ducked. Thankfully, it was not his sister on the hunt, but Troy. Evidently, judging by his facial expression, he had heard his friends joking around and was none too impressed.

"Guys, knock it off!" Troy shouted firmly. At once, the three friends fell silent as their captain marched down the aisle to join them. By now they knew the drill, and they set up their instruments quietly onstage. Troy joined Ryan in front of the first row seats, trying not to show his grin. "Nice hat."

Ryan let out a nervous chuckle. "Thanks."

Troy pretended to scratch his face in an attempt to stifle a laugh. "You that worried about Sharpay?"

Ryan nodded, subconsciously pulling his hat lower on his face. "You have no idea. The closer we get to Battle of the Bands, the scarier she's gonna get. Especially after that declaration of war between you guys the other day."

The smile instantly vanished from Troy's face and he swallowed. "You heard that?" he asked anxiously. Now it was Ryan's turn to laugh.

"Who _didn't_ hear it?" he said. "Anyways, I was backstage when it happened. Someone's gotta run the tape deck when Sharpay's rehearsing." Ryan's voice trailed off with that last sentence, and his short-lived laughter dwindled into a long sigh.

It brought Troy down a bit to see Ryan so put out. He knew that Ryan would have loved to be onstage with his sister, performing, instead of standing in the wings operating the sound equipment. He hoped that this might be a good opportunity for Ryan to get a bit of the spotlight back by helping Troy's group.

"Hey Ryan, don't worry," Troy said. "Just forget about Sharpay right now and do what you do best, okay?" Troy offered a warm smile, and placed a hand on Ryan's shoulder, patting him once or twice. Ryan looked up at Troy and tried to return the smile. It was surprisingly easy.

"Yeah, okay."

-o-o-o-

"No, no, no!" Ryan groaned, waving his arms and staring down the four would-be rock stars. He cursed silently to himself. Where did he go wrong?

They were about three quarters into their rehearsal, and Ryan was completely frayed. Troy, bless him, was pretty decent with the moves. If his short experience with the theatre taught him anything, it was how to move and sing at the same time… and do it _well_. The other three… were an entirely different story. Chad pretty much just stood there, jamming on his guitar and not looking particularly interesting. Zeke looked almost statue-like, and he kept his head low and his eyes focused on his guitar. Jason just didn't listen to anything at all, if he could _hear_ you. More often than not, he was just banging away at his drums with no skill. Ryan had not seen such a hopeless bunch since he volunteered to direct the freshmen's Christmas concert.

But Ryan would not give up so easily. Even pitched against certain odds, Ryan would pull this off and put together the greatest show East High would ever witness, and he would turn these four amateurs into stars! This in mind, he rounded on Chad and pointed at him.

"You've got to keep control of yourself!" Ryan declared.

Chad was trying to master a simple twist as part of Ryan's choreography, but he wasn't very proficient at it, and Ryan was apparently not impressed. He started pacing around Chad quickly, and he had the strange feeling of being stalked by some preying animal.

"You have to stay balanced! Keep low! Use those leg muscles! Do it again!" Ryan's last command echoed in the air like the crack of a whip.

Chad was a deer in headlights for a few brief moments, clearly not used to this commanding Ryan. Was Sharpay rubbing off on him, or was he always this crazy? Thinking it unwise to further induce Ryan's wrath, Chad gave his twist another shot. However, Chad really did not digest anything Ryan had told him, and with only more things to confuse him, Chad soon found himself flat on the stage floor. Ryan sighed heavily as Chad groaned into the hardwood stage.

"Okay, take five," he said tiredly to Chad. Then he turned to lock eyes with the semi-tone-deaf bassist of the group. "Now, you."

Zeke swallowed loudly. "Yes sir?" He never would have imagined being intimidated by Ryan, but he was tougher than Troy during basketball practice.

"You're standing in one place like you've put down roots!" Ryan said, motioning at Zeke's feet. "I know the bass isn't the flashiest instrument, but just trying moving around a little. Nod your head, shift from side to side. Go ahead, try it!"

Looking entirely unsure of himself, Zeke started playing his bass guitar, slowly adding in a slight head bob. He was looking all right for about seven seconds. At the ten second mark, Zeke had gone so off-key, he could have been playing an entirely different song.

"Maybe Zeke should just stand still after all," Jason remarked from behind them.

"Yeah," Zeke agreed. "If I keep moving my head like that, I'm gonna forget the whole song." Ryan's eyes narrowed, in an uncanny resemblance to Sharpay.

"That's unacceptable!" he said sharply. "A true professional never gives up until he can perform to the peak of his abilities!"

"But," Zeke tried, "this _is_ the peak of my abilities!"

"Today it is your peak," Ryan replied loftily, "but it will not be your peak tomorrow."

"That's real mystical, Ryan," Chad laughed. "Any more words of wisdom?"

"Yes!" Ryan snapped. "Keep practicing!" He clapped his hands and pointed to each guitarist in turn. "You two, stage left _now_!"

Chad and Zeke gave each other a confused glance.  
"Dude, where's stage left?" Chad whispered.

"I don't know," Zeke whispered back. Ryan held his head in his hands.

"Stage left is that way," he said, pointing out the left side of the stage. Chad and Zeke quickly made their way over, glad to get away from Ryan. Ryan took in a deep, cleansing breath and wheeled around to face the other two.

"Is it my turn now?" Jason asked happily, flipping his drumsticks wildly around.

"Err, no…" Ryan said cautiously. "Just keep working on what Troy gave you."

Jason nodded brightly and got to work practicing his part. Ryan relaxed a little now. The worst was over. Now all there was left to do was—

"Troy," Ryan said, walking over to the brunet. "Your turn. Let's see what you've learned so far."

Troy looked at Ryan oddly. "You okay? You look a little… _red_."

Only now was Ryan aware of just how hot it was onstage. The glaring spotlights shone mercilessly on his black clothes, absorbing into them and roasting him. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and started to shift his sweater up.

"Yeah, I guess I got a little worked up," Ryan replied. He shrugged his arms out of the sleeves and pulled his sweater over his head. As he did, his shirt got pulled up along with it partway, as they clung together, revealing his bare abdomen.

Troy's eyes widened slightly, although he tried not to look that interested. Ryan had a _six-pack_? Troy never would have guessed. Sure, Ryan was a dancer, but dancers didn't work out, did they? Ryan would have had to do a lot more than jumps and pirouettes to get a bod like _that_.

Ryan struggled a moment longer, trying to peel his sweater off and keep his shirt on at the same time. Finally Ryan freed himself of his oversized hoodie and tossed it aside. He turned to Troy, who he found was staring at him in mild interest.

"What?" Ryan asked warily.

"Oh, nothing," Troy said, trying his best to sound nonchalant. "I like your shirt."

"Huh? Oh!" Ryan looked down at his shirt. It was a simple, short-sleeved, button-up black shirt that he picked up at the mall on sale. "Uh, thanks."

Troy nodded, not knowing what else to say, and for a few awkward moments, neither of them spoke. As the others practiced noisily in the background, Troy and Ryan stared at each other at centre stage in the spotlight, both at a loss for words. Finally, a rather awkward chord from Chad jarred them out of their silent staring contest.

"Okay," Ryan said, clapping his hands together. "Let's see what you've got." He turned to look behind him at Chad. "Give us the melody so Troy can sing," he instructed. Chad nodded and tried to remember the first chord. Ryan turned back to face Troy. "Ready?"

Troy nodded once. "Yup."

"Good," Ryan said. He cleared his throat and started the count. "Five six—"

_"Oh, shake it up baby. Twist and shout…"_

Ryan was pleasantly surprised at Troy's performance. He was no John Lennon, but his smooth, melodic voice put a nice twist on the legendary song. As Chad strummed along on his guitar, Troy sang his heart out, testing out some moves Ryan had given him to try. Ryan had to admit, Troy looked a bit silly, but that wasn't the point. The point was to look like an authentic rock and roll band, and Troy was playing the part of lead singer exceptionally well. Ryan sat back to just admire Troy for a moment. Finally, Ryan could just relax, and see some of his hard work pay off.

Soon, too soon for Ryan, Troy had finished the song. He panted heavily, trying to get his breath back. Singing and dancing took a lot out of you!

"That was great, Troy!" Ryan said, applauding. Troy managed a smile.

"Thanks," he said breathlessly. He jacked a thumb toward the auditorium doors. "I think I'm gonna get a drink." Ryan nodded.

"That sounds like a good idea. I'll come." He turned around to regard the other three. "Um… great work guys! Keep practicing!" He then hopped off the stage and jogged after Troy. The made their way down the aisle and pushed through the auditorium doors into the refreshingly cool hallway.

"Ahh," Troy breathed in relief. "That's better."

"Mm hmm." Ryan nodded in response. They walked down the hall at a leisurely pace, heading for the water fountain at the far end.

"So, tell me honestly," Troy said. "Do we have _any_ chance of winning Battle of the Bands?" Ryan laughed.

"Well, I can't be sure about the other three," he said. "But I know that you'd win for sure."

Troy sighed. "Well, that's great, but a team's still a team no matter what. If we can't win this together, we can't win at all."

Ryan sighed too. "Yeah, that's the unfortunate thing." They made it to the water fountain, and Troy motioned for Ryan to take a drink first.

"You've earned it, man. It's all yours." Troy laughed. Ryan gave an amused chuckle and bent over the fountain. He held the button and hungrily lapped up the water.

Troy waited patiently as Ryan noisily took his drink. As he stood beside the blond, Troy let his eyes wander idly over Ryan's black-clothed body. They started at Ryan's golden hair, and Troy followed it to the neck of Ryan's shirt. The black fabric stuck to Ryan's back, damp with sweat, outlining his subtle musculature. Ryan wasn't really the type to wear oversized clothing, so the hem of his shirt rode up a few inches as he bent over the fountain, and again Troy was able to see a silver of Ryan's pale, unblemished skin. Past that, Troy examined Ryan's pair of fitted black jeans, through which certain parts were especially noticeable, parts Troy was not even aware of until that moment.

_Dang, this kid really takes care of himself,_ Troy thought to himself. Troy decided that Ryan _had_ to do other things in his spare time to attain such a good build. He wasn't as strong as Troy, but Troy actually worked out. He didn't go to a gym or anything, but if had nothing else to do, some times he would just hang out in the weight room with some of the guys and pump some iron. But somehow, he couldn't see Ryan in a gym lifting weights. It didn't seem… Ryan.

Finally, Ryan finished taking his drink and stood up. Troy quickly tried to look like he was examining his nails. _Yeah, real smooth Troy, _he thought embarrassedly. Ryan stepped back and let Troy have a drink. He was quicker about it, only having to sing for about two minutes, and he was soon finished.

Now Ryan and Troy were standing alone in the hallway. "Hey, Ryan?" Troy said.

"Yeah?"

"I, uh, just wanted to thank you for helping us," Troy said. "I know they guys aren't the easiest bunch to work with. So, thank you."

"Hey, it's not a problem," Ryan replied happily. It was really surreal seeing hotshot Troy being so humble and thankful, but he seemed sincere just as he always had, and Ryan trusted Troy.

Troy placed his hand on Ryan's shoulder again, feeling the heat coming off of him, and he gave Ryan another warm smile. "If there's anything I can do for you…"

For a moment, Ryan just stood there. It was weird to have Troy Bolton patting you on the shoulder; Ryan was just really not used to that. No one really did that in his crowd, or his family, or anyone that he associated with. Troy was just so… different. He was down to earth. He was friendly. He was a really cool guy. And he was staring at Ryan, and only Ryan, like they were the only two people on the planet. Ryan's throat suddenly felt dry again, despite having just taken a huge drink.

"Don't worry about it," Ryan said. "Just make sure that—" he stopped himself, and suddenly all the colour drained from his face. Troy frowned.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Sharpay…" Ryan whispered. He then took in a huge gasp, and felt his wrists for his watch, but he had taken it off. "Quick! Troy, what time is it?"

"It's…" Troy paused to check his watch. "…five twenty-eight." Then Troy went white too. Sharpay was due to be here _any minute!_

"Oh no! Oh no!" Oh no!" Ryan panicked. "I have to go! You have to go! They have to go!" Ryan said, waving madly at the auditorium.

Troy scratched the back of his head. "Hey, Ryan…"

"I'm sorry, Troy," Ryan said. "But I gotta go _now_!" He nodded once at Troy, then tore down the hallway. Troy looked after him, still a bit confused. He still didn't get it. Why was Ryan so afraid of getting caught?

"Ryan!" Troy called to the boy at the other end of the hallway. "What are you so afraid of?"

"Death by Sharpay!" Ryan called back, and with that, he disappeared from sight.

* * *

Ta da!

So, a few things about this chapter. Ryan's interaction with Chad, Zeke, and Jason stays more or less the same, but i have made changes where I saw fit and nothing is directly copied. I was also going to include Sharpay's rehearsal, like it does in the book, but I felt the chapter was long enough already. If you don't think so, then please say so.

A few more things about the story in general: I read books 4 and 6, loved'em, and I've decided to include them as well. That said, this story will probably be very long, as I'm trying to cram in 6 junior novels into one package. I've changed the disclaimer at the start of the story to include all the book titles and who they are written by. And the story will still follow the books in chronological order. Oh, and what I said about the Gabriella-bashing... that's no longer vaild. I'm making Gabriella a real character in this story, not just using her for comic relief, so I'm revoking the Gabriella-bashing statement. She, along with the rest of the main cast, will play some important role in the story.

And some things that dont pretain to the story specifically: Whenever I upload a chapter and go to edit it, I find a bunch of little squares randomly placed between paragraphs in my chapters. They usually come in pairs, and in different sizes too, but I don't know why. Anyone else encountering this problem?

And I guess that's really all i have to say for now. Please please _please_ review and tell me what you liked about this chapter, and all the things I can improve (because I know there's a lot). As for next chapter, it hasn't been started, but I'll review the book and tihnk up what I'm going to do next.

Oh, and some exciting news! **Stagnant Chaos** by Tertiary Genesis is being released soon! **YAAAAAAY!** Tertiary Genesis' profile said it's being posted in three days, but unless I'm counting wrong, it's already been three days. So either, I'm dumb or there's been some sort of delay, but I'm excited nonetheless! And you should be too!!

Okay, I'm done now. I'll see you guys very soon hopefully

Peace out!


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